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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Smith think his school principal and mother were wrong to lament his dropping out?

2. What did the welfare inspector recommend to the welfare agency after the visit?

3. What was Billy O'Mann griping about when talking about empty lots near the fire station?

4. How did Smith view the fire department's amusement park trip for neighborhood children?

5. What kind of living quarters did Dennis Smith grow up in?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why were some of the firefighters unwilling to help out at the department's occasional parties for neighborhood kids?

2. How did Smith convince himself of the need to respond to all calls when he found himself getting fed up with the arson incidents?

3. Why were the men uneasy as they begin the training drill in Chapter 6?

4. Did Smith's wife appreciate her husband's devotion to his job?

5. In what way can the training firemen undergo never be completely sufficient?

6. How did Smith distinguish between acts of shoplifting and looting within poor neighborhoods?

7. Is the poverty seen by Dennis Smith in the South Bronx different than the poverty in which he grew up?

8. Why had the system of safety inspections changed so radically?

9. Why does Smith suggest that perhaps even with guidance, South Bronx resident Tina de Vega may still have ended up on drugs and prostituting herself?

10. In what way does it seem as though Smith--despite his hatred for cockroaches--actually respects them?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Abject poverty is a recurrent theme in Report From Engine Co. 82. In what ways does Smith think that poverty leads to an increase in crime and fire incidents in the South Bronx? Discuss how feelings of desperation Smith describes can break apart families and contribute to an ongoing cycle of poverty and lawlessness.

Essay Topic 2

Why was Smith so affected by the interview with the student, Cynthia? Why did his encounter with her leave him feeling both heartened and concerned? Did he ultimately feel uplifted or overwhelmed by what she represented?

Essay Topic 3

Although willing to run into burning buildings, Smith was nevertheless unhinged by the sight of cockroaches and was unable to remain in a roach-infested room for long. What images were conveyed to Smith by the sight of the roaches and why was he unable to ignore them? How did his knowledge of cockroaches provide him with a deeper understanding of the conditions in which the South Bronx residents live?

(see the answer keys)

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